The Question of Ancestors

On Sep 13th, we were on our way to Leela palace to pick up Mary. Anjali was carrying a book - 'Baby Animals'. She was flipping through the pages and saw baby monkeys.

She said with a smile - 'Daddy, look here - Vishu and Manu's (her cousin) ancestors.'

I told her - 'They are everybody's ancestors, sweetipie. Where do you think you came from?'.

She closed the book, lifted her face and with closed eyes and blissful expression, said confidently -

'I have come from Angels, Daddy'.

I didn't have any more questions to ask her. I put my arms around her and gave her a tight hug with, of couse, a proud daddy smile on my face.

Style Rules for Girls

This afternoon, my 6 year old daughter called me with all excitement in her voice. She said that she has figured out 4 rules for being Stylish - rules for girls.

So, I asked what they were, trying to build up the same level of excitement in my tone on the phone.

She started -

Rule 1 - Stylish girls have loose hair.

Rule 2 - Stylish girls don't wear skirts (so I asked her about what do they wear and the answer came in a zippy - 'they wear pants daddy')

Rule 3 - Stylish girls are alwasys stylish (this was a genious rule)

Rule 4 - She actually forgot the Rule #4 while talking to me (I was smiling on the other side of the phone)

Once she completed what she wanted to say, she gave the phone back to her mom and ran out. And I was pretty happy to have known the girls style secrets from an insider :-)

They are crazy

Last Sunday, we were sitting in Little Italy in 100Ft Road Indiranagar for dinner. I was explaining Vishu the tragic life of Karna and how in spite of all his misfortunes right from the moment he was born, he became such an important hero with unparalleled personal qualities and virtues. We both were so engrossed with the whole story that the two girls who were with us were getting bored and bugged.

I was telling the story of the curse given to Karna by Mother Earth. When Karna's Chariot startles a small girl on the road carrying milk in a can, she drops the can and all the milk seeps into the ground. The girl starts crying loud and Karna consoles her. She says that her mother will punish her for spilling the milk. Karna offers the girl that he would buy her a new can of milk. The girl, who was about 5-6 yrs old, says that she needs only the original milk which she was carrying home. The legend has it that then Karna squeezes every drop of milk out of the mud and fills up the little girl's can and sends her home.

Mother Earth gets angry with this act of Karna taking out something back from her. She curses him that she will take something of him when he is in the most difficult time of his life and make it more worse. Eventually in the battlefield with Arjuna his chariot wheel gets stuck in mud and Karna gets killed by Arjuna.

Vishu was so moved with this story and he asked why that girl was so adamant and insisted to get the same milk instead of letting Karna buy fresh milk.

The fun started here and I replied - 'you know buddy how the girls are!' with a grin on my face and looking at Maggie. Vishu said - 'But Daddy not all girls are like that. Mummy is good, and different'. It was time for Maggie to give the victory smile.

Well, the battle lines were drawn and I am not the one to back off now. So, I continued with a bigger grin on my face - 'Well Vishu, what do you know of your Mom, only I know how troublesome she is'. Now Vishu couldn't control his laugh and started laughing loudly looking at his mom. Maggie made a sad face to reflect the conversation mood.

Anjali who was upset with me the whole evening that I was not telling her the story but only to Vishu, now thought that I was crossing my line and she needs to help her mom. So, she touched her mom's cheeks with both her hands and said in a very calm and firm voice - 'PLEASE IGNORE THOSE BOYS MUMMY. THEY ARE JUST CRAZY'.

Maggie and I burst out into laugh and were talking about it for next 2-3 days. We are so proud to have kids like Vishu and Anjali - they are our best friends and cool kids to hang out with.

You and Me

You did not seek me,
And I did not, you.
Yet we met, of all chances
And liked each other.
Love it is true, but you say fondness,
And are we to define it? I smile.

It hurts because we matter
To you and to me
Things said (by me) and some unsaid (by you),
Naked feelings and winter suits,
Tender sunshine turns hot at noon
And am I to blame for the burns?

I seek you, but nothing from you
Giving is love and not taking
It is not even being a bystander in
Your life's journey!
Rare are such people in life
And are we lucky to find one for each!

MSri
22-Jul-2008

Is my Dad a trouble?

About 4 weeks back, on a Sunday, we went to Forum mall in Bengaluru to watch the Harry Potter movie. We went to Kalmadi coffee shop before the movie and while ordering the coffee, I saw Srinath (Batni) entering the coffee shop with his family. I was meeting him for the first time after I left Infosys 16 months back. It was good to see him.

After Maggie and I greeted Mr & Mrs Srinath and his son Fire-engine (I used to call him that when he was a kid - now he is all grown up and going to the US for his studies), I wanted to introduce Vishu and Anjali to Srinath.

I told Vishu that Srinath was my boss at Infosys and I worked with him for a long time since 1994. Srinath told Vishu that he had met him when Vishu was a baby. Vishu was seriously thinking about something. I knew a new trouble was brewing in his head.

Finally, breaking his silence he asked Srinath, - 'WAS MY DAD A TROUBLE TO YOU?'.

Me and Maggie felt so embarrassed and didn't know how to react.

But, Srinath was smiling and happy, knowing that finally somebody understands what he went through during all those Nordstrom, Caldor and Japan days with this Mr. Mallampooty. He was ready with a answer - 'Yes, he was the biggest pain I have had'.

For some reason, Vishu smiled and seemed to be happy to hear it! I just held him and messed up his hair, asking him if he was happy to hear it. He said that he was very happy to know that his Daddy is also a trouble and subtly hinting that I have lost the moral righteousness to give him a lecture next time around.

That's my son. All of 9 years old.

Girls and Boys

This is the new thing my daughter is saying -

"Girls Rule and Boys Drool" - picked up from 'Homeward Bound' movie's Sassy.

"Don't mess with Girls,

'coz they are special pearls'

- this one is her original, inspired by the new Vodafone ad about love tips vas service!

Best Time in the Universe

It's time to narrate one more philosophical revelation of my kids. This time it was what my 5yr old daughter told me.

It was after the dinner on terrace of our home on a full moon day. We had spent some time looking at the stars and we struggled to recognize and make new shapes of the shining stars. Vishu was looking at the patterns the headlights of the moving vehicles on the road far away were making on the still waters of the lake. When we were done, as expected, Anjali started her regular song.

"Daddy, I am very tired. Very sleepy.  (yawns with big open mouth to prove the point). I can not walk down. Please carry me"

I say nothing doing and she had to walk. But I exactly know how it would end. Just to prove my point I stress that I had to help Maggie clean up all the plates from terrace.  

"But Daddy. I am tired and sleepy" The second yawn comes out, bigger than the first one. "I can not climb down the stairs". Since the first negotiation step failed, she invokes the second negotiation step - starts crying slowly.

Maggie, who thinks that Anjali blackmails her daddy emotionally all the time, tries to give instructions to Anjali that she has to walk down by herself.

As expected, the crying intensifies and daddy relents, as Vishu's frustration grows. Because he has to help mom now carrying the plates down.

So, I carry her in my arms and she puts her head on my shoulders and says "Thank you daddy", with a kiss on my cheeks. My response was silence, busy trying to focus on the steps.

Then comes the question - "Daddy do you know what is the best time in the universe?".

I know very well that she already has an answer in her mind ready, otherwise the question wouldn't have popped out in the first place. 

I ask her - "what is it sweetipie?" 

A couple of seconds of silence and she says with a sleepy tone - "My life time Daddy."

I was speechless trying to understand the gravity of her answer. It has taken about 35 yrs for me figure that out about my life and there she was, all of 5 yrs and 6 months old, revealing her findings about life. 

Who teaches these things to the kids? What do they eat?

 

How the world would have been if....

It was time to tuck my 5 year old son under the blanket after a goodnight kiss. His eyes were wide open and he was perceivably absent minded in his 'hmm' responses to my pep talk. Sensing his mind was racing with thoughts, I paused and put my hand on his head and messed up his hair a bit to get his attention. He was quite. I slowly asked him - 'what are you thinking Vishu?'. His attention was still wandering in the silent woods. I was getting curious now, a bit bordering on a real concern. I again asked him, what was he thinking. His response came very quietly - 'Nothing Daddy'. But I knew there is something bothering him very deeply for he is not a kid of question-shy nature. I persisted with my patented 'father-son' talk and he finally came out with his question in a very quite, matter-of-fact way - 'Daddy, I am thinking how this world would have been if I was not born in it. Do you know?'. For once, I had no response for his question. I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings - should I feel happy for him that his thoughts are so deep for his age and he is understanding the true meaning of life - for all its glory how transient it is. Or should I feel sad that he may lose his innocence about life sooner than needed, resulting in ??

Its been almost 3 years since that goodnight kiss, he still amuses me with his out-of-the-world questions. He is every bit a headache like any 8 year old boy but also a darling of his parents.

My perspective about life.....

Living in the Moment

In Life,
There are plenty of things that matter
Plenty there are that do not matter.

If for you,
All that matters in life actually matters
And all that doesn't, actually doesn't
Then you are actually living in the moment.

And if for you,
All that matters in life, doesn't
And all that doesn't, does
You are completely lost
-Vengeance against the Spirit!

But if you,
Pick those that matter to you to matter and
Pick not them that don't matter to matter
- From all the matters in life -
You are living YOUR Life.

And,
Life is never custom made for us
But it offers choices - matters to matter and not matter
And we choose - unwillingly and willingly
And that's who we become in Life.

MSri
(I wrote this to a friend of mine sometime in Jul 2008)

First One

Well, here is the beginning. After many months of mental laziness finally I have decided to create my blogspot. And the challenge is to make myself write regularly on topics that matter and interesting. Hopefully in the process, I will be able to catch most of the transient thoughts that fly by and define a definitive shape to those unknown ideas in which I involuntarily invest incredible mind hours.
As my wife always says.....'it's always a new beginning'. After all these years, I know now that it always is.......